Huskies will wrestle Central Missouri and Drury in Springfield
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 4 St. Cloud State Wrestling will compete in dual competition for the first time this season at the Drury Duals, as the Huskies are slated to wrestle (RV) Central Missouri and Drury on Thursday, Nov. 16 at Weiser Gym in Springfield, Mo. The Huskies and Mules will wrestle at 10:00 a.m. CT, with SCSU and Drury slated to take the mat at 12:00 p.m. CT.
The duals will be streamed through the GLVC Sports Network for a fee, while live results will be available through TrackWrestling.
THE HUSKIES
SCSU was selected to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, while returning NCAA Champion junior 157-pounder Nick Novak was named the NSIC Preseason Wrestler of the Year, as selected by the league’s coaches. Novak went a perfect 27-0 while earning both Super Region V and NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He added a 10-0 dual record to earn First Team All-NSIC honors while recording eight major decisions, three technical falls and two pins in his sophomore season.
The Huskies begin the season ranked No. 4 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, while six wrestlers were ranked in the top-12, led by Novak at No. 1 at 157 pounds. Anthony Herrera (165 pounds) and Dominic Murphy (197 pounds) checked in at No. 4 in their respective weight classes, while Colby Njos rakned at No. 7 in 149 pounds. At 133 pounds, Caleb Meekins checks in at No. 9 while Alyeus Craig ranked at No. 12 at 141 pounds.
NINE TOP-10 FINISHES AT LUTHER OPEN
No. 4 St. Cloud State Wrestling wrestled hard at the Luther Open on Nov. 11, registering nine top-three finishes which included a third-place finish from James Burks in the 174 elite division and four first place finishes in the silver division. Earning top of podium finishes in the silver division was Derek Johnson (165), Cole Glazier (174), Nathan Fury (197) and Donnie Hidden (HWT).
Burks went 4-1 in the elite division at 174 with one bonus point victory. He began the tournament by earning a decision over Luther’s Brenden Hendel (12-5), followed by a first-period fall over Iowa’s Aiden Riggens (0:48) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Burks dropped his match to Augsburg’s Seth Goetzinger (fall 5:54) to move to the third-place match where he defeated Stevens Tech’s Stefan Major (Dec. 6-2).
All four titles won by Huskies in the silver division came with many bonus point victories, led by Cole Glazier, who went 4-0 at 174 with two falls, one technical fall and a major decision. At 197, Nathan Furry earned three falls en route to his championship bout, which he claimed via medical forfeit from his opponent. Derek Johnson captured the 165 silver title after a 4-0 finish with three wins by fall, including a first period fall over Wisconsin-LaCrosse’s Brett Skaug in the championship bout. At heavyweight, Donnie Hidden claimed first with two falls, a major decision and a decision win (8-3) over teammate Dylan Bravo Packer in the championship match.
Earning runner-up finishes in the silver division was Dominic Ducato (125), Logan Vaughan (174), Brendan Lockart (197) and Dylan Bravo Packer (HWT).
SEVEN TITLES AT YELLOWJACKET OPEN
No. 4 St. Cloud State Wrestling enjoyed a strong start to its 2023-24 season, as seven Huskies earned titles in the open division while five finished first in the freshman/sophomore division at the Yellowjacket Open in Rochester on Nov. 4.
Nick Novak earned a technical fall and fall before earning an 8-2 decision to win a title at 157 pounds, while Alyeus Craig won by technical fall and fall to earn first at 141 pounds. At 125 pounds, Conor Knopick had a major decision and fall before winning by 5-0 decision in the title match.
Anthony Herrera won two matches by major decision to win at 165 pounds, while Bryce FitzPatrick had three bonus point victories, two technical falls and one fall, to win at 184 pounds. Bryce Dagel and Dominic Murphy also earned titles at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Information regarding single dual and season tickets can be found at scsutickets.com. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.